How kaleidoscopes work
Posted by staff / January 20, 2012
The word kaleidoscope comes from Greek words meaning “beautiful form to see.” Some are so beautiful and rare that they’ve become prized as collectable objects, bringing big money in the marketplace: One sold at an auction house in 2000 for over $75,000.
Despite what you might have once thought, it’s not magic that creates the kaleidoscope’s beautiful forms, but rather an assembly of mirrors, angles and ordinary objects working in a very scientific way. On the next pages, we’ll explore the mystery behind those mirrors and beautiful forms, and we’ll see why there’s really no mystery at all.
Full article at HowStuffWorks.com.
Photo credit: Fotolia
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